


Agents of Eos

by Paopu_Kairi



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fantasy, Heavy Angst, M/M, Magic, Mental Health Issues, Romance, Self-Harm, Sibling conflict, Violence, spy AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 11:23:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16136210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paopu_Kairi/pseuds/Paopu_Kairi
Summary: They were only children when their father was killed by the murderer clad in armour. The youngest of the family, Bellatrix had to witness her father’s death in front of her and it has scarred her ever since. Things weren’t the same between her and Noctis ever since, as he decided to send her away from the Citadel and she never heard from him or saw him again for the next 11 years.As years went by, the respect and admiration she had for her brother turned into resentment. Her vengeance on the man who killed her father kept her going through the years and she decided to join Eos’s Secret Agency Service to hunt him down. Suspiciously more and more crimes disrupting the city of Insomnia.  Drug smuggling, human trafficking, kidnapping and homicides were increasing in Insomnia.With so much chaos and havoc going around, Bella’s old crush Gladiolus starts to fall in love with her. But can she really trust him? Especially after all the conflict she went through with her own brother, could she really trust a man to love her?In order to achieve their goals, the siblings have to patch things up. Will they finally be able to patch things up with each other before their father’s murderer strikes either of them again?





	1. Chapter 1

I wanna thank @birdsandivory on Tumblr for answering my ask about head canons for a Spy AU. After reading their Crime AU fanfic, I thought I wanted to write a fanfic for a Spy AU. If you haven’t read it by now, I suggest you read the prelude for We Were Gods. Kas is such an amazing writer, so please check their content out, if you love Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or Voltron, then I recommend you follow their blog!

Rating: Mature – Explicit

Trigger Warnings: NSFW, graphic violence, major/minor character deaths, rape, self-harm, abuse and mental illnesses.

* * *

 

** Agents of Eos **

** Chapter 1: Homecoming **

The day had finally come for her to return to the Citadel. A day the young woman had waited for since she was 14 years old. A week after her 10th birthday which was the same day she lost her father, her brother Noctis decided to send Bellatrix away from the Citadel, for her own safety. It took her only 6 months of not seeing her only family, for her to completely hate him, for her to come to the conclusion that he just didn’t care for her. 6 months of sadness, grief and anger towards him was enough for her to hate him. And after those 6 months, when he wanted to see her again, she refused to see him. As the years went by, her hatred for him only grew stronger. He never called her nor texted her. Whenever her guardian, Cor Leonis urged her to patch things up with her brother, she refused, telling him that it was Noctis’s fault so he should apologise to her.

A 20 year old Bella stood outside her empty apartment in the outskirts of Insomnia, waiting for her brother to pick her up. It was a cold spring morning and the sun had risen over the foggy horizon to the east, as the radiance of dawn stretched across everything she could see. The young woman wore a dark red long sleeved top with a v-neckline, black leather skirt, black knee socks and ankle suede heeled boots and a brown long coat. Her black hair was tied up in half up half down hairstyle with her middle parting bangs left out to frame her face. She wore minimal makeup, some mascara on, concealer to hide those dark circles and burgundy lipstick. Even without makeup, she still looked good. Her fair skin with a yellow undertone was clear most days with the occasional spots here and there, she had high chiselled cheekbones, a small button nose, rosy full lips and forest green almond shaped eyes.

As Bella waited for the car to arrive and pick her up, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Noctis was going to be the one to pick her up, Cor said so himself. She would fiddle with the bottom of her top or on a cigarette and not smoke it because of the anxiety that was getting to her. 11 years of not seeing him and she felt like a complete mess. Of course she wasn’t ready to see him and to be frank she had no idea what to do when they would reunite. When she heard that her brother, the head of the Lucis group was going to pick her up, she felt overjoyed but she was dreading it.

Then she remembered all the times he broke his promises to her; all those birthday visits Cor told her about never happened. Anyone would think that her only family would visit her on her birthday and death anniversary of their father; but this was Noctis Lucis Caelum they were thinking of. To everyone in Lucis, he was a kind, strong and trustworthy person. But to her, he was insensitive, weak and unfaithful. In her opinion, he was a horrible executive director; if he couldn’t take care of or love his sister, then how could he have the capacity to do so for his own clients or companies?

A black car with tinted windows had parked up outside and the lights flashed; it was for her. The time had come for her to come face to face with her brother after so long. To finally see him with her own eyes instead of just looking at pictures of him from family albums or newspapers.  She turned to her apartment and sighed whilst kissing the wall; she was gonna miss this place. She’s lived here since she was 15 years old; at first she hated it but with time she grew to love it. Though small, it was the only place she could be by herself with her thoughts, the only other place she felt at home.

The young woman heard the 2 car doors open and close and turned around to see Clarus and Cor getting out of the car. Both men wore warm clothing, Clarus wearing a grey coat and a black suit with his friend wore the same but a black coat. The older man held a brown bag and a coffee holder with just one large cup of a hot beverage in it. When Bella saw that it wasn’t Noctis, she felt angered yet relieved. Nonetheless, a bright smile lit up her face as she ran towards them, closing the gate behind her.

Cor was the first to be pounced on by Bella. She jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. The young woman was 5ft 3in and anyone could mistake her for his child with the way she acted towards him. The middle aged man took a step back but returned the hug with a gentle smile gracing his lips.

However, after taking a small whiff, she quickly pulled away whilst hopping off him. The young woman pouted with squinted eyes as she glared up at her guardian; an intimidating yet less serious glare. 

“You’ve been smoking, haven’t you?” She asked in her usual honeyed and husky voice.

“I know you have.” The dark haired man countered with darting eyes.

“The smell is coming from you, Uncle Cor.” Bella crossed her arms.

“Just admit that you were both smoking.” Clarus butted in.

“Good morning, Mr Amicitia.” She smiled at him and the sides of his mouth perked up as he bowed his head respectfully.

“Good morning, little warrior.” Every time he called her by that name, she really loved it. He’s been calling her that since she was a child and knew it was because of her name and height; though she hated when people would comment about her height, she didn’t mind Cor or Clarus calling her little because she knew it was endearing. “Come on, get into the car. It’s chilly out here.”

Cor opened the door for her and no one was inside, so he really didn’t show up. Bellatrix got into the car and put her seatbelt on.

“We got you something little.” Clarus gave her the Starbucks bag and the large cup. Just as she opened the bag, she could smell the tantalising scent of a cinnamon swirl pastry. “I got you their new Maple Latte. Iris loves it so I think you will too.” She smiled at him with sparkling eyes.

“Thanks.” He nodded and closed the door. The two men got into the car with Cor getting in the driver’s seat and Clarus right next to him. 

“You ready back there?” Cor asked as he switched on the car.

“Yes.” She replied and he reversed out of the parking space.

When they hit the road, Bella took out the hot steamy pastry from the bag and began eating it. Clarus noticed her eating and he smiled as it reminded him of a sweeter time.

“I remember whenever you would get nightmares as a child, your father and I would drive you and Gladio to get a pretzel at a Mr Pretzel vendor on the other side of the city.” She too remembered that time and smiled with her cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk. She swallowed whatever pastry she had in her mouth and turned to Cor.

“Cor takes me for pretzels from time to time.” She chirped and drank her latte.

“Pretzels, ice cream, doughnuts, cake.” Cor listed. “At times she sneaks out to get junk food or actual meals.”

“I hope she doesn’t order pizza at 2am like my kids.” The bald man stated and she blushed.

“Haha, you got me.” She scratched the back of her neck nervously. The mood in the car when Clarus mentioned something that had him wondering for years.

“Bella, I’d like to know, and I don’t mean this in a rude manner, just out of curiosity why you don’t speak to my son anymore?” He asked.

Bella’s eyes sparkled with tears as she lowered her gaze to her feet. She felt as if someone was strangling her with a tight grip and found it difficult to swallow the ball of saliva in her throat. Her heart ached incredibly when she thought about her old best friend, how close they were when they were younger…and then when _that_ happened.

“I must confess, I had a crush on him since I was a 10 year old girl and realised I loved him when I was 15. He knew about my feelings until one day, I saw him…with 2 women entering a club.” They both could hear the pain in her voice when she spoke and Clarus shut his eyes whilst shaking his head. “I couldn’t see him the same way ever since. I thought I was able to see past that, but I just couldn’t. It hurt me to even speak to him in such a situation.”

“Forgive me, Bella.” Clarus apologised from the bottom of her heart but she shook her head with furrowed eyebrows.

“You shouldn’t apologise on behalf of him.” She reassured him and placed the empty cup in a cup holder between the passenger and driver seat.

“I should have taught him better.” He murmured. Bella placed her hand on his shoulder and she turned to him. He saw that gentle gaze and her warm smile and it was as if that was enough to make him feel better.

“Don’t blame yourself. He was old enough, so he should have acted on it himself.” She reassured him. “By the way, wasn’t my _dear brother_ meant to pick me up instead?”

A deep sigh came from Cor whose eyes were focused on the road. Her brother had a busy night and he went to bed at 2am. It was understandable he was tired, but he should have kept this promise, instead of breaking it like always. It was good for what little relationship the Caelum siblings had. The older man remembered the night before when Noctis begged for him to pick her up and whined that he would be too tired.

“Bella, your brother had a long night. But that doesn’t excuse him for his mistake.” Clarus stated.

“What do you expect from someone like him anyway?” She hissed whilst crossing her arms. “Always breaking his promises to the only family he has, I’m not surprised.” She whispered the last 3 words with so much hate. “He doesn’t even care.”

“You don’t know that.” Cor tried to defend the young man as much as he could but would fail to do so. “He does care for you, you’re his sister.”

“I sure don’t feel like one. He’s never shown he’s cared about me, ever.” She was slowly getting more and more upset with tears brimming in her eyes. She was finally gonna voice out the thought she had since she was 16 and looked up at Cor with gripped eyes. “…Am I even his biological sister?!”

Suddenly, Cor pushed on the brakes and the car shook a little; the cars behind them were far away thankfully and saw this, but it was still reckless. If Clarus wasn’t shocked by that very question, he would have scolded Cor for doing such a dangerous this, especially with Bella in the car. But he turned to her with wide eyes, his lips parted and raised eyebrows. Cor on the other hand was glaring at the driving wheel as he gripped onto it.

“Why would you even think such a thing?” He growled and the young woman’s gaze dropped.

“With the way he’s treated me, do you blame me?” She asked.

“Even so, don’t you ever ask or even think such a thing again.” The man’s voice rose as he quickly turned around. She trembled a little with a shaky gasp escaping her lips as her eyes widened. He noticed her fear and sharp cold glare dropped when he reached his hand for hers. Her trembling hand found his and he held it gently. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice. But…when you assume such a thing, it means you’re doubting that you’re your parents’ child.”

Realisation hit her in the face as she leaned back onto her seat. She placed her hand on her cheek and gulped as her bottom lip quivered.

“I didn’t…think of that.” She mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

“Just don’t ever let a thought like that get into your head again.” Clarus stated and she nodded. “Someday, that stupid brother of yours needs to realise what he’s done to you is wrong. I could tell Gladio to talk some sense into him.” 

“That won’t be necessary. Besides, I’d rather not get him involved in this mess too.” She stated and he nodded. Cor began driving again and they crossed the bridge to enter Insomnia.

The city streets were a little busy with people on their way to work. Bella out of the window at everything that passed by; buildings, people, schools, establishments, her university. This was the place she spent all her life in, but where she was born was far away from here. Though she had admiration for Insomnia, it all felt…too much of a routine for her. Insomnia was a place she had grown so used to that she never really felt excited about it anymore. It was expected of her that when she finished University, she would join her father’s company. What was beneficial about the group was that, not only was it a multi-million gil conglomerate company, they had businesses in every kind of sector. She could easily find employment in one of her family’s businesses that would fit well with what she was studying. It was expected of her to work for the family business, but that’s not what she wanted. She didn’t want to rely on the success of their family to get by, she wanted to do something she enjoyed, start something for herself and get money from it. Unfortunately it wasn’t about what she wanted, she had to help her brother and sort other things out…

“We’re here.” Cor announced as the car passed through the gates as they entered the Citadel’s entrance.

“Stop the car.” Bella quickly took her seatbelt off and the car came to a halt.

The young woman opened the door and closed it shut behind her. Her green eyes focused on her surroundings, the entrance and the Citadel. The painful memories were still fresh in her mind, as if they happened just yesterday. Memories she wished she could forget but they made her into the person she was today.

The last time she was here, she was just a 10 year old girl being dragged away from her home. Yelling, screaming, kicking, and trying her best to escape as Cor carried her into the car, all while her brother just watched silently with no protests. Bella walked towards the centre of the clearing and stopped.

This was it…this was where her father was killed. He was walking her to the Citadel so they could cut her birthday cake he was carrying. There were no security around and Clarus and Cor were on their way to meet them outside. Then, out of nowhere, that murderer appeared, fully clad in armour towering over her with his greatsword in his hand. Regis pulled his daughter around him, but she saw the sword go through his chest. His warm blood spraying over her, turning her white tulle dress a bright red. She couldn’t stop screaming or crying as he fell to the ground, the cake falling with him as she held onto him tightly, never wanting to let go. The amount of blood on the ground looked like a large puddle of crimson red. All she heard from the monster who killed her father were 6 words she would never forget, 6 words that fuelled her vengeance to kill that murdering bastard, and 6 words that haunted her forever…

“You and your brother are next.” Bella whispered as she kneeled to the ground. Her hands were trembling and her heart was beating faster and faster. Her breathing was shaky and uneven and she felt as if she was choking. Her limbs were completely numb as her bottom lip quivered and she placed her hand on the ground, the exact place her father died.

_“Protect your brother and take care of him…”_

Those words…she wished she could do so but…he sent her away and he caused her so much pain. She bet Regis and Aulea were looking down on them, woeful and disappointed that both their children were on bad terms. They surely must have seen the things she had gone through during the past 11 years and it must have hurt them. Being parents and watching their children suffer with no power to do anything about it, must have been the worst feeling for them. She felt it was her own fault…for causing them so much pain. Her fault that they weren’t resting in peace.

“I’m sorry…” She squeaked with tears dropping onto the floor as if it was going to rain. “I’ve caused you both so much pain…I should have been stronger…”

Just like 11 years ago, Clarus and Cor ran from the car towards Bella and saw her crying with her arms wrapped around herself. It broke their hearts to see her like this, to see her suffer like this, to be in so much pain. This was her home and it had brought her so much suffering.

“Come on, stand up…” Cor’s voice was gentle as he took her hands and helped her up. The older man took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped her tears, thankfully her mascara was waterproof. “Let’s get you inside.” Her breathing finally evened out as Clarus began counting down from 10 till 1, helping her calm down.

The 2 men led her into the Citadel’s lobby where there 2 lifts for both buildings and a reception desk which was empty.

“Bella.” She heard a female’s voice and turned to her right.

The cheery voice came from one of her best friends, Wren Asteria who she had known for 15 years. The young was 27 years old at 5ft 9in with a slim body, straight dark brown collar bone length hair, and side swept bangs, medium skin tone with a golden undertone, rosy cheeks and lips and round bright green eyes. She wore a simple cream fitted jumper, black tight jeans and knee high length boots with her hair left out.

The woman wrapped her arms around her friend and held her tight. Wren knew today would be painful for her. But she promised her that she would be there to support her, no matter how early or late. Bella was grateful to have Wren as a best friend, she was the one who helped her and supported her the most when she lost her father and when she was sent away. It was her who would sneak her out for midnight snacks and long drives to get her mind off things. It was her who knew all her deepest and darkest secrets, hiding them from anyone, even from her boyfriend Ignis.

Speaking of Ignis, he was there too, dressed in a casual dark grey jumper, black jeans and black shoes. He smiled at the 20 year old woman and she turned towards him. Wren let go of her best friend who pulled away and she smiled at them both.

“Thanks for being here. It means so much that you guys could make it.” She stated. “Wren, I know you hate early mornings, must’ve been hard for you to get up.”

“Surprisingly, she woke up before I did.” Ignis accidently let it slip and the dark haired woman crossed her arms whilst smirking and her best friend’s face turned beet red.

“Ohoho damnnn Iggy!” Bella howled whilst nudging her friend who just lowered his gaze regretting every life choice. “You guys did the dirty. Oh my.”

“Bella, please stop.” Wren squeaked as she burst into a fit of giggles.

“Hey, what’s the joke? I wanna get in the action.” Clarus stated which caused the 20 year old to laugh so hard her sides began to ache. Cor just bit on his lip trying not to burst into laughter too.

“Bella, I swear to Etro. I’ll murder you when this is over.” Wren muttered with her face finally returning to its natural tone.

“I think we should get a move on.” Ignis tried changing the subject as he pressed the button to elevator which went up into the many floors of Tower 1, where the Caelum family lived. The doors opened and they all entered. The doors closed behind Cor who was the last to get in and the elevator began making its way up. “Bella…there’s been a slight change in plan.” Her smile dropped as she turned to the man in glasses. Her expression changed within just a millisecond, from cheery and joking to annoyed and serious.

“Cancelled again?” She asked.

“No, Gladiolus and a guest will be joining us.” He replied.

Her eyebrows furrowed together as she gulped. The young woman gripped onto the bottom of her skirt and felt her heart pounding fast, she knew the others could hear it too. Why…why was _he_ here? She wasn’t prepared for this, emotionally, mentally, hell even physically. She could have worn something more formal, she could have worn more makeup too, not to impress him but to look more presentable.

“Why…why is Gladio here?” She asked. “Who is that guest? Why is he here too?”

“Gladiolus seemed overjoyed when he heard you were returning to the Citadel. I didn’t think he would be here this morning.” Clarus commented.

“The guest is a friend of mine, I wouldn’t call himself a friend of Noctis but he wanted to meet you. He’s also a fellow agent.” Ignis stated and she felt Wren wrap her arms around her arm.

“Bella, it’s _the_ Ravus Nox Fleuret!” She exclaimed.

Bella took a step back with her back hitting the wall of the elevator. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned a faint pink as a soft gasp escaped her lips. Ravus…Ravus Nox Fleuret was here…in the Citadel…to meet her. He was the most eligible business bachelor in Eos AND he was an agent too in Eos’s Secret Intelligent Service. Beautiful would be an understatement to describe him. Not to mention, he and his sister descended from the royal bloodline of Tenebrae just like she and Noctis were descendants of the royal bloodline of Lucis. Now she was even more nervous, she dressed so casually with these two handsome men meeting her.

“W-why…I…he…I’m not ready for this!” She stammered nervously. “How could he just…drop all this on me?!”

“Bella, it’s going to be okay.” Cor reassured her. “Just think of it like you’re meeting normal strangers.”

“Cor, it’s my old crush and Eos’s most eligible bachelor out there!” She whined.

“We’re all here to support you, okay?” Wren held her hand tight. “Breathe in, breathe out; slowly.” She followed her command and her heart rate finally returned back to normal. “You good?”

“Yeah…” She mumbled and the doors opened when they got to the 3rd last floor.

They all exited the elevator and Bella was greeted by a line of the Citadel staff; all of whom were new. She smiled at them and said good morning but was saddened and disappointed there was no one she recognised from her childhood. Cor took her coat and she made her way towards the double doors leading to the dining room. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled slowly through her lips and the trembling of her hands came to a halt.

The doors opened up and Bella entered the humungous dining room whilst examining her surroundings rather than the people in the room. The staff may have changed but thankfully, this room didn’t. Everything was the same, the black and gold damask wallpaper on the walls, the 18 arm gold and crystal vintage chandelier which hung from the centre of the ceiling, the rectangular long table which could host a total of 12 people and the brown vintage fireplace to the left. The windows in the room were situated at the back, with the sunshine not being too bright or too dim.

A small smile graced her face when she began to remember her sweet memories of her innocent childhood in this room; the way Noct hated eating his vegetables, how Regis would tell him he wouldn’t get dessert when he didn’t, how her and her father would sneak into the dining room to eat a meal or snack at midnight. She sighed deeply with her eyes glistening with tears; she wished those memories would last forever. 

Ravus and Gladiolus were sitting in the chairs they specifically picked to be seated in. Gladio was dressed in a dark red cashmere jumper, black straight cut jeans and black trainers whilst Ravus wore a grey blazer, waistcoat, trousers, a white shirt and purple tie with black shoes. When they heard footsteps, both men turned to the young woman who entered the room and instantly stood up.

Gladio couldn’t believe his amber eyes; it was really her. Bellatrix who was just a teenager the last time he saw her 6 years ago. But now, she was a beautiful young woman. He didn’t imagine she would blossom into such a woman but here she was, with her long dark hair falling right into place, her almond shaped green eyes sparkling like stars, eyelashes fluttering like wings on a bird, the way her luscious lips pursed together and the corners perking up into a lovely smile. His gaze lowered to her body and his cheeks reddened; she had the body of a fully developed women, her curves driving his mind crazy, those large round bosoms and those child bearing hips. No…he had to get a grip on himself. She was Noctis’s little sister, he couldn’t be staring at her like that and thinking such impure things.

When Ravus laid his mismatched eyes on her, he swore she was a form of Etro herself. But no, she was very much human, an extremely graceful young lady. He had seen and met countless women in his life, but none with such alluring beauty as hers. She was like no other, she possessed not just average beauty but the kind where one would witness Aurora in Tenebrae for the first time. He had expected the little sister of Noctis to be some spoilt brat who would be late, sleepy rude and ungrateful, just like when he met her brother for the first time 8 years ago. However he was surprised that she seemed nothing like her sibling at all. There was something about her, something which drew him to her. He felt like he had known her before, even though this was the first time she had ever seen her. Maybe they knew each other in a past life or in another lifetime.

“Is the great Ravus Nox Fleuret blushing?” Gladio mumbled whilst smirking. The said man rolled his eyes and looked at the man who stood across him.

“I see you are, Amicitia.” Ravus hissed and glared at him. “I noticed the way you’re staring at her, she’s not a slab of meat or some criminal you seduce on missions.”

“Rich coming from someone who pretends to be someone they’re not. Must be easy huh?” The dark haired man took a brutal jab at him but Ravus didn’t take his words seriously. “You know that isn’t her type.”

“And you are? Please, Amicitia. Don’t make me die of laughter. I’m everyone’s type.” He boasted. “Now stand there and watch as a real man greets a lovely lady. You could learn from me. Maybe it could help you on your missions.”

Gladio gripped onto the chair whilst grinding his teeth together, the nerve of him! He thought he was better than him in terms of charm? But what did he expect? Ravus always thought he was better than others, he was a famous businessman and an exceptionally skilled agent. It would annoy the hell out of Gladio, that the compliments and praised only made his ego more unbearable.

“Miss Caelum.” Ravus walked up to the young woman with a small smile on his face.

Bella turned to the man who approached her and looked up at him. Her eyebrows rose as her eyes widened a little and her pupils dilated wider. She felt her face turn hot and faint red. All those articles were right, every magazine was right, he was absolutely mesmerising, his face looked like it was carved by the Astrals themselves, his platinum blond hair looked as soft and silky as satin, and she admired his heterochromia eyes. He had such an imposing physical build with a lean body and looked 6ft 3in which made the young woman feel really small. 

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He took her hand, placing a sweet kiss on her the back of her hand. She felt his cold soft lips on her warm skin and gulped feeling flustered and a little uncomfortable since no one has ever greeted her like this. Cor kept a watchful eye on the young man just in case he tried anything or said something out of line.

“Pleasure is all mine.” She managed to smile and pulled her hand away from him.

Gladio couldn’t take it, something inside him just didn’t like any of this. Seeing Ravus owning him in terms of charms, but of all the people, the fact that it was _her_ made him more pissed. He couldn’t just stand and watch like this. So he walked briskly towards her with such confidence. Wren, Ignis and Clarus noticed this with the young woman nudging both her boyfriend and friends father with a small snicker. Ignis just shook his head; he knew this wasn’t going to be good and the head of the Amicitia family just sighed stressfully.

“Bella…” The young woman heard a familiar voice which caused goose bumps to form over skin.

The said woman slowly turned to where the voice came from and leaned back as she gasped softly. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and she gulped nervously. She thought for a moment there that she would faint but there she was still standing. It was really him, it was really Gladio who stood in front of her. He looked so different, but those alluring amber eyes were still the same. He looked taller than when she last saw him 6 years ago and towered over her at an outstanding 6ft 6in. He also grew more facial hair and his hair looked longer. Even since she was a teenager, his rugged sexy good looks was a huge weakness for her, but now…he looked more attractive then ever. But then she saw that sweet gentle smile of his, how a man who looked so manly and rough be so soft and tender was beyond her.

“It’s so good to see you again, Gladio.” She smiled at him and his cheeks turned beet red. Her smile was still so bright and warm like a ray of sunlight. He cleared his throat and his fingers ran through his dark brown tresses with a smug smirk on his face as he leaned closer to her but she just leaned back away from him.

“I must be the luckiest man to be in the presence of the most beautiful woman ever.” He winked and her eyebrow twitched. If she was still 16, she would squeal and most likely faint if he had said that. But she was almost 21, she knew better and felt awkward at the compliment.

“How many times have you used that on innumerable women?” Ravus asked with a smug smirk on his face.

Her forest green eyes glanced from Gladio to Ravus with furrowed eyebrows and she sighed loudly and sharply whilst rolling her eyes and shaking her head. From Gladiolus she wasn’t surprised but from Ravus she was disappointed. Bella wasn’t like the women Gladio would often seduce or flirt with, she was his childhood friend and she thought he respected her more to treat her as such but what did she expect from him? As for Ravus, she knew that smirk was full of so much pride and arrogance. She wasn’t someone he could show off. For him to try and impress her for pride and to bring Gladio down was something that really put her off. There stood before her was a womaniser she once loved and a prideful asshole she once aspired to be like.

“Great goddess Etro, what did I do to deserve this?” She asked internally.

Bella walked past both of them and sat down on her the chair at the end of the table; it was her old seat she would sit on whenever the family would eat together. They watched as she walked away from them and sat down with an emotionless stare focused on the table.

“Great going, you two.” Wren mumbled loud enough for both men to hear, as she walked past them to sit next to her best friend. Cor sat opposite Wren, Clarus sat opposite him and Gladio sat with his father. Ravus sat beside the brunette and Ignis sat next to him.

The 7 of them all waited with only some small talk between the others with Cor and Bella staying quiet. The reason she stayed quiet was because she kept thinking about finally seeing her brother again after so many years. She glanced up at the double doors; any minute now he would walk through them and they would finally reunite. When her gaze lowered, Gladio was the first to notice how nervous she looked. She was fiddling with her hair and her fingers trembled a little ash kept playing with her tresses.

“So Bella, I heard you’re a university student.” Gladio stated and she looked up at whilst dropping the strand of hair she was playing with.

“Yeah, I study at Insomnia Crown University.” She replied and both Ravus and Gladio were surprised.

“Wait, you go to _the_ Insomnia Crown University?” Ravus asked.

“Eos’s top ranked university. You go there?” Gladio questioned and she nodded as if it was nothing special. Cor on the other hand just smirked proud of his little girl.

“I study History, Politics and Economics.” She answered.

“I always wonder how you can do it. Isn’t it a lot?” Wren added.

“It’s manageable, besides I really enjoy it.” She smiled.

“That’s all that matters, Bella.” Clarus commented with a smile. “We’re all very proud of you.” 

The conversation continued with the dark haired woman staying silent. Time passed by and every 10 minutes the youngest woman in the room would check her watch whilst huffing. It had been 1 hour and a half since she’s arrived and he hasn’t showed up yet.

“Cor, I’m hungry.” She mumbled only loud enough for Cor and her best friend to hear.

“He’ll be here any minute. Just hold off till then.” The older man advised.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he even forgot.” She muttered whilst crossing her arms.

“Of course he hasn’t, he’s been looking forward to seeing you.” Wren said.

“Yeah well why isn’t he here already?” She didn’t mean to raise her voice and the others turned to her. “This is an embarrassment not only to you all but to me too. I apologise but I’m going to my room to get ready for my lecture.” Cor placed his hand on hers and held it tight.

“Your lecture doesn’t start until 11. You can wait a little while longer.” He said in a gruff tone of voice.

“Have someone send my breakfast to my room.” She commanded as she pulled her hand away.

Just as she was about to stand up, they all heard the double doors open. Noctis entered the dining room, with his hair being a mess and he was wearing a black sweater with dark grey pyjama pants. The young man yawned and rubbing his eyes.

Everyone else stood up with respect as he entered the room but Bella just sat there with crossed arms. When her eyes fell on her brother, she noticed how he resembled their father with the only exception being the facial hair. His jaw was square shaped and he no longer had that silly spiky hair. She felt glad to see him, a little giddy even but nonetheless she was disappointed that he overslept, though it was better than him forgetting she was here.

The first thing Noctis saw was his little sister sitting by the table and when he did see her, his blue eyes were brimming with tears. A joyful and gentle smile graced his lips upon seeing her after 10 years. His baby sister, who was once so young and adorable had grown into a young woman. She looked like their mother but with their father’s hair and eye colour. He waited so long to finally see her and now that he was met face to face with her, he couldn’t believe himself. Was it a dream? Was he still dreaming? If it was, he hoped to never wake.

Noctis sprinted towards her and she slowly stood from her seat. What in Eos was he doing running towards her like he was a child? She didn’t understand why but then when he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his face into the crook of her neck. She felt warms tears on her skin and felt her heart ache. Those tears…were for her. He really did miss her and he really was happy to reunite with her again. Her bottom lip quivered as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him so tight that she feared that if she let go he would leave. Cor couldn’t help but smile at this; at least she wasn’t scolding him like he expected.

“It’s really you…” He whispered. “This isn’t a dream...is it?” It took everything for her to hold her tears back.

“I’m here, this is real.” She replied and he pulled away from her. The young man wiped his tears with his wrists whilst sniffling.

“Welcome home, Bella.” He smiled.

“You can’t imagine how much I waited for this day to come.” She said.

“Heh, I forgot you were coming today, that’s why I woke up late.” He grinned and her smile dropped. She felt her blood boil in her veins as she gripped onto her fist tightly and her jaw was clenched. Just as she was about to approach him, Wren read what was going on, stood up and placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder stopping her from reacting.

“Oh Noct,” She chuckled nervously. “What a funny joke, let’s all just sit down and start eating. We’ve been waiting for a while so we’re starving.”

“But it wasn’t a joke.” Noctis replied.

“Noctis, just sit your ass down. We’re all hungry.” Cor growled.

“Alright, alright. Gimme a break.” Noctis raised his hands in surrender as he walked towards his seat and they all finally sat down.

Bella stared at her brother with so much loathing in her glare that when he noticed her glaring at him, he gulped and felt cold beads of sweat rolling down his neck as he lowered his gaze feeling guilt and fear. She felt a hand hold onto hers and turned to see Cor who stared at her with a tender loving gaze. Her eyebrows furrowed together and he could see the tears forming in her eyes. She just rested her head against the back of her hand with her elbow leaning on the table, hiding her face and tears from anyone who could see it. But when her guardian saw that one small tear fall through her fingers, he growled. He turned to the young dark haired man who looked up at him. Cor glared at his coldly, it was that same glare he saw whenever he cancelled on Bella, a glare of utter disappointment; a glare that instantly made him regret everything he did to hurt his sister.

 


	2. Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Mention and flashbacks of sexual abuse on a minor.   
> After an awkward homecoming, Cor and Bella leave the Citadel for the library. Whilst on the way, Bella talks about her PTSD as well as opening up about her unrequited love with one of her best friends. Cor reassures her that someday she will find love. At her University Library she finally gains access to the Lucian Secret Archives holding a collection of 200 books dating back to the age of Astrals, containing historical books about the true events of history and what people call “mythological” books which could actually be true. After working on assignments, she works on hacking into the house of a criminal they need information from; a criminal she had old history with, a criminal she promises to kill.

 

The silence between them all felt suffocating and unbearable, with only the sound of spoons on plates as everyone began eating their breakfast. Gladio, Ravus, Ignis, Clarus, Cor and Wren were all glancing from Noct to Bella and they could feel the awkwardness growing. Someone had to say something, anything, because this was worse than hell. The brunette huffed and decided she would be the one to finally break the 15 minute silence.

“Bella, you must be happy to finally return, huh?” She grinned and the said woman looked at her friend.

“I wouldn’t say this is the homecoming I would’ve wanted. But I am happy to finally return.” She stated and her sibling felt like he was being strangled. “Except, I wouldn’t be in this position…” Her forest green eyes darted at her brother. “…if you didn’t send me away.” 

Wren lowered her gaze whilst placing her palm on her forehead and Cor just huffed deeply. He specifically warned her not to be salty today, not to bring anything up, and to just let everything be peaceful. Clarus glanced at his son and Ignis who were just as surprised at such a remark. But Ravus just leaned forward with interest whilst smirking as he glanced at the dark haired man; this would be entertaining.

“It was to keep you safe.” Noctis said through his teeth. Bella’s eyebrows furrowed together and she snorted.

“Because being separated is obviously safer than staying together.” The young woman scoffed with sarcasm dripping from each word. Cor glared at Wren, he knew she learnt that sarcasm from her. Noctis gripped onto his butter knife and grinded his teeth together.

“I was 12.” He hissed.

“I was 10!” She raised her voice.

“Alright both of you are acting like children. Stop. It. Now.” Cor commanded and they both fell quiet. The others except for Ravus sighed with relief, thank goodness he was there to keep everything in place. Everything returned to that awkward silence again but it was definitely better than the bickering between the siblings. 

Noctis took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat whilst keeping his eyes on the table. “How’s your degree going?”

“Good.” She stated.

“Grades?” He asked whilst looking at Cor.

“Better than yours.” Her guardian replied.

“Miss Caelum, what do you want to do after graduation?” Ravus asked.

Bella remained quiet; it was a simple question no doubt, but she was unable to answer it truthfully. Working for the family business wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want to follow expectation; it was her life. They all turned to her whilst she just stared down at her empty bowl blankly. Wren placed her hand on hers and she was suddenly brought back into reality as she looked up whilst gasping.

“She’s going to be entering the family business.” Noctis answered nonchalantly and Bella lowered her gaze and began fiddling with a strand of hair. Only Wren, Cor and Gladio realised her change in behaviour; it was obvious she didn’t want that.

“Well, maybe sometime in the future we can arrange a partnership. What do you say Bella?” She looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes. Ravus just smiled at her with a small wink. “Maybe that partnership could develop into something more beautiful?”

“Flirting with a potential business partner is unethical. But I mean if you do it with other people...it’s really none of my business.”

“Fucking superb, you funky little bisexual.” Wren snickered and sipped on her coffee whilst rolling her eyes.

Ignis rose his eyebrows and couldn’t help but smile; that was impressive. Clarus leaned back on his seat with a hand on his chest; usually any girl would be blown away by Ravus flirting or even looking at them, but he was surprised none of this sweet talk worked on her. Gladio crossed his arms whilst trying to catch Ravus’s eye; now his charm wasn’t working. Cor placed his hand on her arm and nodded with a small smile on his face.

“That’s my girl.” He mumbled loud enough for only her to hear.

“This is why I warned you not to sweet talk my sister.” Noctis warned him and Ravus just glared at him.

“Anyway, I’m gonna get going. I hope my room is still in the same place.” She muttered as she stood up.

“Still 2 floors above us.” Noctis replied.

“Cor, I’ll meet you outside in 10 minutes. Thank you everyone for attending my homecoming.” She stated whilst walking towards her brother. The young woman looked down at him with a glare and squinted eyes. “I hope you don’t forget about our dinner plans, tonight. You know, like how you always do.”

“Get off my back, I’ll be there, okay?” He whined.

“I won’t be surprised if you’re not.” She placed her hand on his shoulder with a tight grip, pushing him back so he would look at her. “And don’t invite anyone else without telling me. Got that in your head?”

The young woman left the dining room and briskly walked towards the elevator doors. They opened in front of her and she pressed the button for the floor she wanted. The double doors closed and it only took 3 minutes to get to the floor where her room was. Once she got there, she ran down the corridor and opened the door of the last room to the right.

She entered her room and sighed as the corners of her lips perked up. Her room which was fairly large, still looked the same with just a few differences, her walls still had the same cream wallpaper with golden flower designs on it which was most likely changed just before returned to the Citadel, wooden flooring, with a black rug in the middle, her double bed on the left with black and gold bedding and cream coloured bed frame draperies, the bed was between two doors, the one on the right leading to a bathroom and the one of the left leading into a walk in closet, to the left of the room her box of toys was removed and replaced with a large book shelf filled with all of her books whether it be for pleasure or academic, next to it was a studying desk with 2 drawers and a dressing table with a built in mirror and a chest of 2 drawers was next to a full length mirror. On her bedside table was her alarm clock and a picture of her, her father, brother and Cor on her 6th birthday, and on her dresser was a framed picture of her father and mother in their younger days, as well as another with Wren, Ignis, Prompto and Nyx on her 18th Birthday. Right at the back of the room sliding window doors which led to her own balcony where she remembered holding tea parties with Cor and her father or Gladio and Clarus in the summer. A tear slowly fell down her cheek when she thought about those memories; oh what a beautiful and simple time that was.

Bella closed the door behind her, locking it and entered her walk in closet. The young woman placed her bag on the floor and took out her black university backpack. She also changed her skirt into a pair of black tight jogging bottoms and wore black trainers and a black oversized hoodie. The dark haired woman tied her hair back into a low bun with her bangs left out. 

She heard a notification from her phone when she finished getting ready and she picked it up. It was an email from her lecturer, all her lectures and tutorials were cancelled today because she got ill. A little smile graced her lips; not because they were cancelled, but because she was able to work on things in her university library.

Bella ran out of her room and took the elevator down the halls and sprinted out of the Citadel. When she made her way through the clearing, that image of her dying father plagued her mind again. She gripped onto her fists whilst letting out a shaky sigh as she ran faster to the car parked at the gates. The young woman quickly got into the passenger seat whilst panting and quickly put on her seatbelt.

Cor was already sitting in the driver’s seat turned to her with furrowed eyebrows looking really worried. She stuffed her hand into her pocket, taking out a cigarette and a lighter. She placed the end of her cigarette between her lips and lit up whilst breathing in the smoke, then exhaling whilst leaning back in her seat and gripping onto the seat with her left hand.

“Coming back here was something I always wanted, yet it hurts me so much.” She squeaked.

“It’s most likely connected to your PTSD.” He stated.

“My psychiatrist told me this would happen.” She replied.

“Just take it easy okay, if you ever feel like it’s getting too much you can always stay at Wren’s apartment for however long you need.” She smiled at this and nodded; of course she would let her do that.

Cor switched on the car and pressed down on the acceleration as they began to head out. “Cor, take me to the University Library.” She said.

“What happened to your 11am lecture?” He asked curiously.

“They all got cancelled today.” She answered and the skin between his eyebrows crinkled up suspiciously.

“Bellatrix Lucis Caelum, you better not be meeting some boy at the library.” He growled darkly and she rolled her eyes whilst laughing.

“Really?” She asked. “A library is way too obvious and it’s public. That would be the last place to meet a guy.”

“Good….” He did a double take on her and his steel blue eyes widened. “Wait, what? What do you mean last place to meet a guy?! I’m gonna ask you one last time missy, do you have a boyfriend?”

“You know as well as I do how I feel about relationships.” She mumbled whilst looking out the window and taking another puff of smoke. “All the amazing people are already in relationships or interested in other people.”

“Prompto?” Cor asked. “He’s a good kid and I honestly wouldn’t mind you dating him.” She shook her head.

“He’s in love with Nyx.” She mumbled and from the corner of his eye, he noticed the way she looked down when she said that name. Her eyes were sparkling with tears and she gulped and he knew something was wrong. He pulled out onto a smaller road and parked the car. “Why did you stop?”

“Bella, you’re in love with Nyx, aren’t you?” She closed her eyes and sighed; of course he knew.

“I’m not emotionally ready for a relationship and I don’t think I’ll ever be. With him…I just can’t….he loves Prompto too.” She turned to Cor and smiled at him. “I’m just helping them get together, y’know?”

The older man sighed deeply whilst taking off his seatbelt. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. She froze at this and gulped when she felt her emotions slowly take over. The tears trickled down her cheeks as she began to sob deeply. She wrapped her arms under his arms and held onto his shoulders, burying her face into his neck. He placed kept one hand on her side and placed the other on her back, slowly and gently patting it whilst hushing her as she wailed in his arms.

It pained him tremendously to see her cry like this, but he had grown so used to it. This child he took care of for the past 11 years has gone through too much pain. She was just an innocent girl who lost her father, who was sent away from her home, who grew up without her only family supporting her, who would get nightmares so often she would be too scared to go sleep, who has developed countless mental illnesses because of all the shit she’s been through, who loved a man who broke her heart and now she was in love with another man who was in love with another. No girl her age should be going through all this, the things she was going through…no person should ever go through it in their lifetime. But here she was, suffering yet still very much alive. That was the one thing he was glad for, that he raised her to be strong, to endure, even though he didn’t think she had the capacity to do so. He knew that Regis and Aulea were looking down on her, being so proud of her for staying so strong.

She pulled away from him as her soft quiet sobs slowly turned into hiccups and she wiped her tears with her sleeves. The young woman looked up at him with her eyes still sparkling, her pink cheeks were puffy and the tip of her nose was a faint red.

“I can’t let a guy break me like this.” Bella whispered. “I can’t let love break me again.”

“You’re only human, Bella.” Cor said. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay? You’re a lovely girl, kind and gentle. You deserve only the best kind of person to love you.”

“How would I know if someone does love me?” She asked curiously and the corners of his mouth perked up a little.

“Someone who would take a bullet for you is someone who loves truly loves you more than anything in the world.” He replied calmly.

“Sounds like someone who doesn’t value the gift of life.” Bella stated and he shook his head.

“You’ll understand one day.” Cor smirked. “Now, let’s get you some lunch first. What do you feel like having?” He asked curiously.

“I’m not hungry.” She said.

“Alright, well, let’s get you to the library.” The older man started up the car again and continued driving.

The young woman got an email notification on her phone and looked down. She sat up, unlocked her phone and as she scanned through the email, her eyes brightened and she gasped with excitement.

“I got access into the Lucian Secret Archives!” She exclaimed. “Finally after 2 years of applying. You would think the descendant of the royal family would be trusted.”

“What with the library raids happening around Eos, wouldn’t blame them.” He said. “Another thing we need to get to the bottom of.”  

“Burning libraries, those sick bastards.” She stated. “We need to look more into it.”

The car stopped by in front of an extremely large library and she took off her seatbelt.

“Don’t forget about tonight’s mission.” He said.

“I definitely won’t.” Bella muttered darkly. “I’ll see you tonight.”

The dark haired woman got out of the car and closed the door behind her. She took out her university I.D card and scanned it through the entrance barriers to enter the library. She made her way into the lower floor of the library and walked further in to find someone. She approached the library’s staff desk and noticed the person she was looking for.

Caius Angelus was a 58 year old man with wispy white hair up to his chin, his face was timeworn and wrinkled, twinkling yet wise grey eyes and he had a slightly hunched posture. He wore a dark grey jumper, a brown blazer, brown trousers and black shoes. He had tutored Bella ever since she was a 4 year old girl and was good friends with her father. It was because of him, she was so intelligent and loved reading books and had an interest for history and religious mythology. He had been working for the university’s library for 40 years and would always take care of Bella whenever she was in the library; letting her stay a few extra hours, giving her food whenever he could and dropping her off home whenever she finished work late.

“Mr Angelus.” Bella smiled sweetly and the old man turned to her. He beamed happily at her and walked towards her.

“My dear child, how are you?” He asked cheerily.

“I’m fine, how are you?” The man nodded.

“I am alright. I heard you were accepted access to the archives. Congratulations!” Caius exclaimed and she giggled.

“Finally. I wanted to see it as soon as I arrived. If it’s not too much trouble, could you take me there?” Bellatrix asked curiously.

“Why, I’ve been waiting for you to arrive so I could take you there myself.” The old man began leading her through some corridors and he took out something from his pocket. He gave her a piece of paper and she opened it up finding 10 numbers in a specific order. “This is the code to get into the Lucian Secret Archives. Memorise it as quickly as possible and burn that piece of paper so no one can know it.”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded whilst folding the piece and keeping it in her hand. They entered an old fashioned elevator with brown walls inside and a gold cage shaft from the outside. The elderly man pulled the lever to the bottom floor; the lowest floor in the library. “What’s the limit of books borrowed?”

“There is no limit, but the maximum amount of time you can keep books are 2 weeks.” He stated.

They finally got to the lowest floor in the library and the Caius pushed the doors opened. They entered an extremely huge hall with 90% of it being the actual archives, which was protected by a glass wall with just one opening. The room around the archives looked very much modern but the archives themselves had a collection of 200 books dating back to the age of Astrals, containing historical books about the true events of history and what people call “mythological” books which could actually be true. She followed her oldest teacher to the door and he tapped the 10 digit code into the code panel. The code panel’s buttons turned green when the right code was entered and the glass door opened up automatically. Bella followed the old man into the archives with her eyes round with wonder and amazement. She couldn’t stop staring and felt like a small child in a candy store.

“What book do you want to borrow first?” He asked and she was snapped out of daze. The young woman turned to him and her eyes brightened.

“Something about Freyja and the Astrals!” She exclaimed and he chuckled at this.

“You always wanted to learn more about the Divine and the Astrals.” He stated and walked through the passageways of shelves. “No one ever comes down here except for myself to keep everything tidy. Though I’m afraid these books won’t be here for long.” Bella’s eyes widened at this as she gasped.

“What?” She asked.

“The threat of all those libraries being burnt down are alerting the archive committee. They’re going to be moving the books to a safer place, but they don’t know where the books will be safest.”

Bella paused for a moment and began to think. A safe place away from the public eye? A place that is heavily guarded and the security would be hard to break into. Her eyebrows rose when she got an idea.

“What about my family’s library in the Citadel?” She asked curiously. “We used to study there all the time and I know that it’s hard to get in there without a key.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” He exclaimed.

“I’ll talk to my brother about it.” She smiled and he gave her a thick book with a dark blue cover.

“A detailed history book about all 7 Astrals and the Divine.” Caius stated and she placed the book into her backpack.

“7 Astrals?” She asked. “I thought there were only 5.”

“History is written by the winners.” The old man stated. “But many of these books aren’t. That’s why they are here. Now is there anything else you need?” He asked and she shook her head. Her old scholar led her out of the small library and closed the door behind him. They got back into the elevator and when he pulled the lever the lift went up. “You can always come here by yourself whenever you want to. Here is a spare key and an I.D card for you to enter the library. Just make sure not to bring anyone crazy with you.”

“I wouldn’t even bring my brother here.” She mumbled and he cackled.

“That brother of yours hated books, I tell you.” Caius said. “Though there must surely be _someone_ in your life you’d like to bring here.” The young woman noticed his tone and she shook her head. The elevator came to a stop and they both began following the corridors to the main library floor.

“I don’t have anyone like that in my life, I assure you. And there won’t be someone like that for a while.” She reassured him.

“What about that young man who sometimes picks you up when it’s late. Not Cor, but the other one with dark grey hair, sometimes wears black leather.” Her cheeks turned a bright pink and she gulped whilst lowering her gaze. “Ah, judging from your reaction, he’s not just any man.”

“W-we’re not a couple. I mean…it’s not like that. We just…” She stammered nervously. “We’re just very good friends who…have…advantages.”

“I see…” He nodded. “When Valeria and I were about your age. We both were the same until we both fell for each other, it took us 2 years to do so and we’ve been married for 35 years with 1 child and 2 grandchildren. Maybe all you need some time.” She smiled sadly at this whilst shaking her head.

“I appreciate your optimism, but he’s in love with someone else.” His smile dropped and he sighed.

“Forgive me, child.” She shook her head.

“No, you had no idea. You meant well.” She replied.

“Well someday I hope you find someone who will be head over heels for you.” He said with a big smile on his face.

“Thank you, Mr Angelus. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved.

The young woman walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor and managed to find a private study room.           

She closed the door behind her and sat down at the desk, taking out a laptop from her bag and continuing work on her final term paper. Time went by quickly without her mentioning until she managed to finish a task and checked her watch.

“Shit, its 5pm already.” She whispered and closed her laptop after saving her work. She put it back into her bag and took out a tablet whilst placing it onto the table. “Hopefully, he’s not home.” The dark haired woman switched it on and began entering some coordinated into a map. “20 minutes away from here, perfect.”

The young woman left the room and then began walked briskly towards the exit of the library. She finally got out of the building and took out her phone, switching on the coordinates she looked up a while ago and following the directions.

The more she followed the more familiar the area around her got. She remember being in the passenger seat of a black matte Lamborghini as the driver made his way through these very seats to get to the destination. How the car smelt like a mixture of a strong yet sickening cologne and cigarettes and how the windows were tinted black so no one could see inside. The way he looked at her with those evil eyes as his cold hand was placed on her knee and made its way up her thigh and underneath her school skirt. Even till today, she could never forget the things, _he_ did to her, and it was a permanent scar on her life, on her childhood. Though she kept it to herself through the years, she made sure that it was her drive through the years to gain revenge.  

* * *

The 20 year old found herself on a street with many luxurious houses around, though they paled in comparison to the Citadel. She made her way down the street, glancing at each house and inspecting the number until she got to 28 and heard the sound of the gate opening coming from the next house. She ran towards a nearby tree and hid behind it, whilst keeping an eye on the road.

Just as she expected, it was the black Lamborghini that pulled out from the gate and it accelerated down the road with so much speed and turned a corner. When she made sure the car was gone, she took out her tablet from her bag and began tapping. Using what Ignis taught her a long time ago, she hacked into the house’s security and disabled it successfully.

The woman in black waited until the coast was clear whilst putting on her leather gloves and then sprinted towards the gates of house no.30. Bellatrix climbed over the gate and landed onto the other side in a graceful crouch then made her way towards the front door.

“Hopefully that asshole still keeps his spare…” She bent down and lifted the doormat to find a key underneath and took it out. “Jackpot.”

Bella unlocked the door and closed it carefully behind her. She told herself she wouldn’t linger in this place for long. Quickly go up to the study, hack into his computer and look for any information he had linked to Glauca. She didn’t want to stay too long and have a PTSD episode from all the horrid memories here.

The young woman made her way upstairs and walked down the corridor and opened a door to what she assumed was still his study. She entered and hacked into his computer so he wouldn’t get a notification that someone was on his computer. When that was done, she quickly accessed his computer and opened up his documents.

“Fuck, he has 150 documents, I can’t go through all of them.” She muttered to herself. She remembered having a spare external hard drive in her bag and took it out. She plugged in the cable into the usb port and began copying and pasting the documents onto that hard drive.

As she waited for the process to be complete she began thinking to herself. The last time she was here was 4 years ago yet so much here hasn’t changed. She noticed the picture on the computer table, it was him. Her first boyfriend and the man who continuously raped her during their 2 year relationship. In the picture he wore a black and white suit with that disgusting ugly smirk on his face. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she gritted her teeth.

“Tonight is the night you die, Luche Lazarus.” She muttered and glanced back at the computer. Finally the process was complete so she took out the cable and stuffed her tablet and external hard drive into her backpack and ran out of the room, down the stairs and closed the door, locking it and keeping the key underneath the doormat.

Bella sprinted down the street and followed the directions back to the library to take a bus back home, which only took her an hour to get to the nearest bus stop to the Citadel and 5 minutes to the Citadel.

When she got back home, she went straight to her room, took out her laptop and popped in the external hard drive. She began looking through the documents in attempts to find out any information on Glauca. However, she didn’t find anything on him but what she did find was more important. Emails, documents, letters as well as tickets to Niflheim officials and from them too. Luche was in contact with them, buying weapons, smuggling them into Insomnia as well as being involved in human trafficking. Her eyebrows furrowed together, why Niflheim? Why was it coming from them? It was odd because from what she was taught during school and university the relationship between Lucis and Niflheim was okay, there wasn’t any bad blood from what she remembered. None of this was making sense. Yet she did notice the emblem on Glauca’s armour from 11 years ago, it was the Niflheim crest if she could remember correctly. When she googled the crest again, she gasped and gulped; Glauca was an ally of the Niflheim Empire…

Bella picked her phone and the first person she decided to call was Cor. But the phone wasn’t getting picked up. Then she remembered that he was going to be working at the agency before setting out for tonight’s mission. She left him a voicemail telling him that she found some important information and to call her back when he has the chance.

The black haired 20 year old got changed into an oversized cream jumper, black leggings and flip flops. She exited her bedroom and took the lift to the dining room. The young woman entered the room and sat at the table. Time kept passing by and she would constantly check her phone’s time. 10 minutes turned into 2 hours and she was growing more and more impatient. She was supposed to start her mission in 30 minutes and he still hasn’t shown up for dinner. The staff had the table set already and she had called Noctis 10 times already yet no answer.

He told her with his own mouth that he would be here, instead of hearing it from someone else. That was what really hurt her, what really angered her and disappointed her. She could feel her blood boiling with rage through her veins and she completely snapped.

She pushed all the empty plates, bowls and glasses in front of her to the ground, standing up and making her way towards the door. She heard her phone ringing and picked up immediately.

“Are you on your way?” Cor asked.

“He didn’t show up.” She heard a deep sigh from the other side of the line. “I’m going to get ready. I’ll be with you in 20 minutes.” The young woman cut the phone and took the lift to her room.

She ran into her closet, stripping off all her clothes and putting on the outfit she kept out for her mission; a black spaghetti strap tank top, high waisted leather pants, fingerless gloves, and black ankle boots. Around her waist was a belt with many pouches and belts where she could keep her guns and bandages. She took her car keys from her bag, as well as the external hard drive with all of Luche’s documents on them and sprinted out of her room and back into the elevator.

The young woman took the elevator down to the lowest floor which was the parking lot. She ran out and managed to find her car, one that she bought with a small percentage of her inheritance money on her 18th Birthday. It was a black Audi R8 called the Star of Lucis with patterns of the old Tenebraen Clan with Lucis emblem wheels. She opened up the boot and found her weapons there, placing 2 handguns in her belt and keeping the external hard drive in a pouch. She took out her bag full of ammo and guns as well as the golden winged helmet she would wear on certain missions. Closing the boot, she got into the driver’s seat, whilst placing her bag and helmet onto the passenger seat.

Bella put on her seatbelt and switched on her car, reversing out of the parked position and pushed on the acceleration. She made her way out of the parking lot and took the exit behind the Citadel to get to the main road. She took the quickest route to her destination, going over the speed limit to get there too. Within 8 minutes, she got to the old mansion where her mission was held. The dark haired 20 year old took out a small black earpiece from one of the compartments in her bag, switched it on and placed it into her right ear.

“Is there anyone on the line?” She asked her voice just slightly deeper to not give herself away.

“This is Double Helix.” She smiled and wrapped her hair up whilst putting on her helmet.

“Goddess Freyja reporting, what’s the situation?” Bella asked.

“Adonis is being held hostage by our target and there’s been a shootout with Triple Triad and Eagle I and II are in the middle of this mess.” Double Helix replied.

“They’re all hopeless without me. I’m going in.” She muttered and took her seatbelt off whilst taking the bag next to her. 


End file.
